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e.-L. ADA|R.

t l Bee Hive.

No. 68,141. e Patented Aug, 27, 12867,

wh/fesses! l?? Ue 7470 r:

@uiten gta-trs atent @fitta DAVIS L. An A1 n, o r HA'WESVILL E, KnNrrnc KY.'

Letters Pci-tent No.768,141, ,dated August 27, 18.67. i

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-RIVES'.

die Salgari maar; tu irilgrse Etnias hnelt nur milking pint-nt ligt samt. f*

TO ALL4 WIIOM IT MAY GONCERN: i I

Be it. known that I, DAVISL. Amm, of IIawesville, in the county of Hancock, in the State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful improvement on a BccvIIivc; and I do hereby .declare that the following'is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference mrrked thereon. l i

The nature et' my improvement consists in forming the different chambers, apartments, and honeyboxes of a lice-hire ot' a series of vertical sections o r rims, so fitted to enchlother, in suilicie-nt number, as to formclosc box es of the size required, to each of which sections or rims-are attached coinb-,g;.n`ides,` which are made by dipping strings er cords in meltedrbecs-wax, or bees-wax and resin, which, when warm, are pressed against the woolhto which they adhere, and are thus easily fastened to thc under side, of the top piece of cach section, so

as to induce the bees 'toA form each piece of` comb and honey where it Vis dcsiredf- T-his answers for the horney-4 boxes, as they are small, but inthe brood or lower larger chamber, to prevent the bees from attaching their combs, or working where it is not desired, I first cover th-e Linder side of each top piece of each section with Canton flannel, or other soft fabric, or `their equivalengby pasting, gumming, 91.'. glueingA the same thereto, and fasten, by tac-king thereon as a comb-guide, where it is desired the combshonld be, a triangular piece of wood,

(lipped in melted 1wax,o1"a-cord, `:rs-belluno described, andA when it isfdesircd that'tlie combs 'and honey should be of a r'reater than usual thickness I also use the Canton flannel, as stated, and bymaking the sections deeper, and thus placing the comb-guides wider apart I secure the formation` of the Combs of surplus honey of any reasonable thickness. By this arrangement, when the sections are taken apart, none of the eombs will be broken, or Isometimes make the main or brood-chamber to enclose fra-mes. The whole is enclosed by an outer case or box, for protection from the weather and the moth and other enemies to the bees. l

` Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rear ofthe hive, with the door 4C of the outer case open, showing A, the lower orbrood-chamber,.]3 B B B honey-boxes. The ends of the brood-chamber, as well as the honey-boxes, are closed with glass, so that when thc door C is opened the inside of the boxes may be observed. There is a space between thc broodchamber and honey-boxes on every side, which insulates the inner cases or boxes, so as to secure greater warmth in' winter and less heat in summer. Y

Figure 2, a surplus-honey box, the end of which is shown in fig. 1, B B B B, showing the manner of ccnnecting the sections D D D D, Sac'. The strips EE, thatholdth sections together, are loosened at one end and velevated to show the saine. They are shown in place in-g. 1. This igure will also serve to represent the lower or brood-chamber, as it is constructed and joined together in substantially the sarneinanner, the proportions only being dierent.

Figure 3 is aseparate plain section of4 the proportions used in the lower or brood-chamber. It is formed by nailing together four thin pieces ofwood; for the brood-chamber they are generally about one-halt` inch in thickness, andfor the honey-boxes about halt' that thickness; they are all about one and a half inch wide, and of the proper length to make the sized box required. The upper piece F and the lower piece G project slightly beyond the other two pieces in front, and setback the same distance from the edge 'of the same in the rear, so as to form shoulders,r so that when the sections are joined together they fit into each other so as to hold them to their proper places, as shown in iig. 2. suliieient number of such sections being so put together, a narrow wooden strip, EE, tig. 2, or its equivalent, is nailed or screwed to each corner of the box lengthwise, asl shown on the upper boresv in fig. 1, EE E, Stel, to bold the whole together firmly.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View of the lower front part of the hive, through thc centre of the entrance, from front to rear. H is the entrance, which is cut in the bottom of the outer case, so far as to lead the bees under the brood-chamber A, from whence they ascend through the hole in block Miand hole X in bottom of brood-chamber A, and enterthesame.

, Figure 5 is a front vi-ewiof the hive, showing K, the alighting-board, which is formed by projecting tho bottom board of the outer 'cas'e,and bevelling the same oil' so as to shed the rain. II is the'entrance-hole cut in said bottom board. The front of the-outer case is represented as being cut partly away, and also the 'back ends of thc brood-chamber and honey-boxesas being left out, so as to show the holes dr passagesfor the bees', X J I JJ, into tbc brood-chamber 'A`,::and thence Yto and through the honeyboxes D B B B. I-Ioles for the passage of thc been are cut in the top of the brood-chamber A, corresponding to the holes 'J J in lower tier of boxes B B, bfy g means of which the bees enter said boxes, through which they pass toisiinilar holes in the top of said lower tier of honey-boxes, corresponding to the holes J J in the upper tier of .boxes B B, and so to' the third tier, if so many are desired. The holes J are cut opposite to like holes-in the top of thcvhoney-boxes, (scc J, iig. 2'.) i

Figure 6 is the bottom board 'of the outer ease, showing vL L, two wooden strips, one-fourth to one-half an inch high, upon which the brood-chamber rests, and on which it slips in and out, and which lifts the same oil` the bottom, leaving space under it for insulation, and which in use is partly'filled with salt to keep out ants and the moth, and to preserve the bottom ofthe hive from rotting. Mis ablock of wood, to fill up so much ot` said space as is necessary to continue'the entrance, and by means of a hele, X, through the saine, to connect the broodchamber with the cntranee-hole H in the bottom board.

Figure'? is two combined sections of the brood-chamber connected, showing how they are used when frames are used. One section, Z, is represented as'deep as iive plain sections, as shown in iig. 3, ,and holds-five frames,

corresponding in depth to .the plain section aforesaid. The centre one, N, is attached permanently to the top piece F O andto the bottom of the section, and has no upper or lower bar, in fact is a sham or blind frame, placed there for theV purpose of holding the real framesP P to their places. The frainesl P P P tillA out the section, and are set in loose on the strips L L, (sec tig. 1,) and kept the proper distance from' the sides by the triangular side strips R R R R, (see iig. l.) The other vsection Y also contains a. blind frame, N P, and when i fixed to its place, as represented in this ligure, supports theframcs P P and holds them to their places. The

chamber, when filled out, (see fig. 1,) has a like'section at the opposite end to hold the other t-wo frames firmly, and may be filled out to the desired length with like sections, or with plain sections, .like iig.l 3, or the whole chamber may be formed of sections which are three-iifths of the depth of'Z, fig. 7, and hold two frames, P P, and the blind frame N, three such sections forming the chamber; or it may befcomposed wholly of plain sections, like fig. 3, or entirely of sections like Y, hg. 7, or of any combination of those sections desirable or corvcnient; vor the frames may be set in a solid-sided box on strips L L, figs. 1 and 7, and held to their proper places from the sides by strips R R R R, same figures, the top covered with movable honey-board or boards, so that the frames may be lifted out at top, and by having the front or lglazed end movable they may be taken Aout at the end. To accomplish this I make the brood-chamber the depth of one section short of .the desired length, I

and ill it out with a combined section like Y, iig. 7. p

Figure 8 is the frame intended to be used in this combination. The two upright or side pieces T T are cut out of thin pieces of wood, corresponding in width to the uprights inthe section, fig. 3, leaving them full width near the upper and lower ends. The bottom cross-bar U is nailed to the lower ends of said upright or side pieces T T, and the top bar V is nailed to the upper ends of the same. .The ends of these two bars extend 'out only 4even with the outside ot' said upright or side pieces T T. They have no projections ofthe upper bar V, for the purpose of suspending the frames, or keeping them at the proper distance from the sides of the hive, as all the frames new in use have, and no extension of the side pieces TT down below the bottom bar U, as someot' them have, for the purpose of keeping the frames from the bottom board, but are, when in the hive, kept the propo;` distance from the bottom by the strips L L, ig. '7, and from the sides by the triangular strips R R l R, same figure. (Sec also iig. l.) v

When it is desired to open the brood-chamber A the honey-boxes B B B B may be taken of?, which is done byinserting under each box, as you move it, a piece of tin or zine, suiiiciently long and wide to sever the gum holdingit to the under box or brood-chamber, which also cuts oil' communication. A second piece of tin er zinc should be then inserted, so thatwhen the box and one sheet ofmetal are drawn out the bees will be confined in the honey-box by the metal sheet drawn out, and in the box or chamber below by the other sheet which is left on. When all the honey-boxes are removed the brood-chamber may be taken out in the same way. By removing the screws and taking ofthe strips E E the sections may be all separated, by inserting' the point of a strong knife, or some similar instrument, betwcenthe sections, when the sections maybe replaced, if desired, 0r a part of them, with the proper brood-comb, taken out for the purpose of artificial swarming, Vor any other purpose, and their` places iilled lwith empty sections, or any new combinations of sections made, as each section,

Vwhether plain, like fig. 3, or combined, as described under g. 7will tit any other section.'

This arrangement of forming 'the hive ofsections, obviates the great diiliculty experienced in removing and working with any oi" the loose or movable frame-hives, as, however well'they may work or operate at first, and while they are not'gummed and glued up with the propolis, they soon become warped andl obstructed, so Athat they are a great annoyance to the bee-keeper, and after the hives have been used a year or two many become worthless, or nearly so, for the purposes for. which they were intended.

If the honey-boxes are all placed on the brood-chamber at once, in the spring, the bees will generally com# mance working in the lower ones first, and, if.not interrupted, williill them out before going into those above, but when the bees have formed comb in'three or four-sections they should be taken out and raised up and placed 0n top of the second tier, the said second tier being thus brought down to occupy their places. Thebees will immediately commence work in the boxes thus brought down, when, if there be a third and fourth tier, .they Should each in turn be shifted to the bottom, raising those partly filled. By this management all ,of the honey-v boXes will be lled nearly as quickly as the first two would have been, and the yield ofsurplus honey more than doubledin a given time.A i

l I lc herewith a circular, which I intend issuing, marked A, and madea partl of this specification, for the purpose of showing the advantages andputility of my improvement. y i

I do not claim the use of mqvable'comb-frames in bee-hives, as they wcrausedaby Hubei', Taylor, and Munn, us stated in the circular herewith filed, and were patented to Rev. LorcnzoL. Langstroth in 1852. Neither doI claim the use of comb-guides in bee-hives, for I am aware thottriangulnr strips of jvood, and also pieces ,of comb,

have been used for a. number Vof years. But whntI do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A1. The honey-box, constructed as described, consisting of the sections D, provided with the projecting top and bottom pieces F Gr,V fitting over the tops and bottoms of the vertical pieces, secured' together by `the strips E, whereby vertical movement of' separate sections is avoided, :is herein set forth for the purpose specified.

2. 'The sections of the brood-chamber, constructed as described, consisting oi' the removable frames I` P, blind frames N N P, sides Z, :ind sections Y, all arranged as described, :ind sliding over the bottom guides S and between the trianguiar side strips R, as herein set forth for the purpose specified.

' `D. L. ADAIR.

Witnesses:

. W. S. THOMAS,

D. W. JETT. 

